NEW! Bolaget Inspiration

I have a hugely inspiring website to tell you about that JUST launched that hasn’t hit the blogosphere yet (not English blogs anyway) called Bolaget Inspiration based in Sweden and oh my! It’s delightful! I have my lovely blog collegue Frida to thank for sharing it with me today via email. Thanks, Frida!

Bolaget is managed by a dedicated team in Malmo, Sweden. It is the mission of Bolaget to find and sell some of the best properties in Malmo, and thanks to their team of interiors professionals, they can evaluate your property and decorate it (also known as home staging) in order to boost the value of your home. They have gorgeous places for sale, you simply must check it out but more than that, they just launched an inspiration site for those who want to see past properties.

By the way, if you don’t know what home staging is, also referred to in the UK as property styling, it is defined this way by wikipedia, “Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property’s appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive product that anyone might want.” This is a smart approach to selling homes and has been around for years now, but Bolaget has a very nice touch that sets them out from the pack.

I don’t know about you, but this is the type of home staging that I love. I’m not so keen on the ordinary staging that I see out there and I’m sure you know what I mean, the cookie cutter look that almost always includes a stack of books with a shell on top or overly home staged to look like a model home or catalog spread. Bolaget seems to have a real knack for styling in a lovely, appealing way that feels fresh, casual and livable. I like that. These homes speak to me — I want to buy and live in them because they feel inspiring, eclectic, and perfectly imperfect.

What about you? How do you feel about the typical “staging” work you see where you live? Is it still popular where you live or not?

Your comments...

I’m really digging this — and I agree with you. I think in MANY cases you can really tell when a home in staged. When I first glanced through these photos I didn’t get that impression. Looks livable! And beautiful!
(And I’m SO in love with those dark floors — swoon!)Desiree Fawn´s last blog post ..Happy Monday- Dear Hearts

Thanks for this link, Holly! I’m trying to design our new home with Scandinavia as one of the primary inspirations, so I’m sure this site will be very helpful. And I totally agree with you about typical staging.

I totally know what you mean! These places look completely lived in – sure, they are prettier than most normal homes but they don’t look like catalogs!Katie´s last blog post ..12 months of sharing – February 2011

I love this website! Spotted it two days ago on a Scandinavian blog, it’s really inspiring.
Here in Holland properties are definately not styled/staged like this. The staging for property websites, or model homes or flats is usually quite simple with a lack of accessories and personality. Most of them look like a catalogue for a furniture company.
This looks so good you just want to live there and have the interior too. I bet it’s really effective when you’re trying to sell your home.On A Day In November´s last blog post ..JCREW CATALOG

interesting concept – As a home stager and interior decorator in the dc area, i would love to stage in this way!! but the reality is that too many Americans are ridiculously conservative when it comes to home decor. You can barely get them to put color on the wall. people STILL buy furniture in room sets – as in sofa, love seat and chair – which drives me insane! i bet they don’t even sell furniture that way in europe!!

I love these rooms and their styling but other than in apartment and condos in certain parts of the city, it just wouldn’t fly here. but nice to look at – thanks for sharing!

My home is in a perpetually state of renovation and redecorating, so staging has never really never been in the cards. I love dark hardwood floors, though.Vanessa Elizabeth @ Ruffled Rose´s last blog post ..where do you keep your heart

I live and work in Sweden, and teach homestagers to be more individual and personal in their approach.

There is nothing more boring than the established “homestaging style” so frequent here in Sweden. But homestaging takes KNOWLEDGE & TALENT, while many think it is just a matter of showing off nice things, and THAT everyone think they can do (hence the result you see for sale online ;-)

Looks great! Especially that wooden black floor, I love it! I just started a blog about simple design and crazy little things you can to change your home. Love to see how you are doing this. I get really inspired by the things you show on your blog. It is great to see how things are going on the other side of the world (I am living in the Netherlands). Hope to get inspired more in the future. Good luck!
Greetz Tess

oh my word, I WISH there was more home staging going on here in Germany! I’ve *had* it with seeing 300,000+ Euro homes posted for sale that look like somebody’s first apartment. That’s really all I have to say about that without going on a tirade… =Pjuliette´s last blog post ..Homemade tea party- DIY Menus part 3

Wonderful link, thanks Holly.
i couldn’t agree more about “typical staging”. I live on Cape Cod and have staged a few homes here. If I never see a starfish pillow and/or anchor rug again..I will be happy girl ;)sue@solsticehome´s last blog post ..a bit of a shopping spree

What a talented team of people Bolaget has! I would love to have a job as a member of home staging team! I haven’t been to many homes staged for sale. Now we live in Jakarta, the chance is much slimmer, but I have been to a model room here which definitely looked like a room from a catalog and not very livable. It was full of decorating ideas though and I enjoyed looking at it. This site is wonderful in a sense that it allows people to see the house without visiting. I love the way they decorate! How creative of them!Chuzai Living´s last blog post ..Vietnam Trip Epilogue With Comedian Anjelah Johnson ☆ Nail Salon

Home styling in a way that actually looks as though it is lived in! I’m really not keen on the homogenised way so many homes for sale are decorated – the homes could literally belong to anyone but not in a positive way – in that bland, uninspiring way. Thank you for the recommendation Holly – really well executed touches, lots of ideas! :-)

Very relax and beautiful. I’m not fond of the North American staging look. I really love these images, right along the same lines as what I want in my home. Thanks for sharing this great link!Beth´s last blog post ..Congratulations Lovena and Ryan You’re Married!!

When we sold our house two years ago, our realtor was also a home stager. I loved two things about it. They used only my own belongings and they were brilliant at furniture placement. It was a great experience. No shells on top of a stack of books. :)

These are beautiful! So inspriring! Usually I am not a fan of staging because it almost makes me like the house less since I get intimidated by the forced nature of it all.Heather @ REOlisticRenovation´s last blog post ..Bud Break at the REOlistic House

Thank you so much for sharing this new inspiring link! I love Scandinavian design, and these guys do a fantastic job at styling properties.
Years ago I worked for a company that did staging. I didn’t like it at all, because I could only choose furniture & accessories from a very limited (and not so nice…) stock. I left after a few months…that wouldn’t have happened if I’d worked for Bolaget!!!Cristina – Positively Beauty´s last blog post ..Design inspiration- creative ideas for original headboards

Yes, its alive and well here in good ol’ Worcester. My cousin is an agent and people request it all the time. I think its terrific as it cuts down the clutter and makes the home way more inviting.Holly´s last blog post ..Sweeter Hours Studio- A Tour

This is so beautiful- love this styling!
I sold my apartment in Stockholm a year ago and since i live in Shanghai i asked a company to style it but as you say, it is not the most personal styling they do- i would have chosen this company anytime- next time:)
Great post!
xo Nina

Wow, so lovely! I agree with you (and pretty much everyone else here, it seems) that this is a world away from typical home staging that I see. In so many cases, it seems that the goal is to strip away all character and charm from a place, leaving it looking about as welcoming as a department store display (and not even a nice one). It strikes me that there must be a certain number of very cool homebuyers in Malmo…

I love the balance of a space looking lived in and “real” but also tidy and well thought out. A few people have commented about this kind of staging not really jiving with American tastes, which are rather conservative (everything has to be part of a matching set, preferably brown/tan/beige). There might be something to that, on the whole.

In the second photo, I can’t tell if it’s black or very dark brown, but man, that’s a beautiful floor.lisa h.´s last blog post ..Years end

I am an interior designer and home stager, and they are two very different things. In my experience, most people really have quite a bit of clutter in the home, so staging really helps with that. Yes, I agree a bit sterile, but most of the time it is SO much better than what the house looked like to begin with. Studies have shown time and again that “clean and showroomy” sells better the “cluttered and eclectic.” Bolaget crosses that boundry quite well. Seems like that their look would translate well in a town like Cambridge.

I know I’ve heard Bolaget some where before, but that’s probably because I read a host of European blogs. But I was not aware of this inspiration website and WOW is it ever inspirational! I’ve only spent a few minutes on it but I am just loving it! Thank you!

They certainly have a special touch when it comes to staging! We had our mother’s house staged for sale when the estate sold it. Wow. What a difference. I would highly recommend it, especially under those terms. Yes it was a little cookie-cutter, (no shells though!) but compared to the mis-matched, grown over 30 years OLD PERSON’s house, the fresh and modern presentation DID sell the house quickly in a falling market, and for an excellent price.

I LOVE the hallway with the dark floor and study nook… however, there seems to be a door behind the desk, which is a little odd. I think the print with the timber frame on the white wall really sets it all off perfectly.

Wow, I would not believe that those photos came from a staged home. At first I thought that it would be a direct opposite effect they would want. But after looking at the photos more closely the do use the space very well. They are still following some the staging principles, but in a whole new way! It has changed what I thought about staging homes. I will have to show friends this, they will not believe it either.

These homes look great, what a great way to sell a property. I think staging is a great idea, and would think it would be a lot of fun putting the rooms together. Thanks for sharing!Penny Patten´s last blog post ..aRT creation Bluescape

I do home staging in Spain and I think Bolaget’s style is unique and very inspirational. And as Megan S also commented, they did a good job making sure these homes weren’t full of clutter. But for me the key is the eclectic look – a mix & match of beautiful furniture and artwork, including a few surprise elements, so the house has its own personality and doesn’t look like everything’s just been unpacked out of a box.Kristin´s last blog post ..Top 10 Ways to Add Style to Your Home in 2011…Direct from Paris!

This would be a super biz for Barcelona…here the houses you go to look at are at the most decent but usually what you see makes you wonder how eager this person really is to sell…Casa e Cose´s last blog post ..Everywhere I see pink…

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Hello! I'm Holly and I'm primarily an interiors and lifestyle writer and decor8 is where I share unique, inspiring and beautiful products, people and places with a focus on creativity. I also write about blogging, social media and small business topics. I love to inspire and motivate others.

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